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Pune police call off ban on scarves
A day after it issued a diktat banning the use of scarves for covering faces, the Pune police scrapped the plan without an explanation, reports Yogesh Joshi.
A day after it issued a diktat banning the use of scarves for covering faces, the Pune police scrapped the plan without an explanation.
“What I had said about [wearing] scarves was in the interest of people,” said Pune Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, who was keen to enforce the rule, which he believed would help identify terror suspects.
“There will be no ban on covering the face with scarves.”
On Tuesday, Hindustan Times had reported that the Pune police had issued a circular under the Bombay Police Act (BPA) to enforce the order and said it would impose a fine on those who didn’t follow order.
The announcement had infuriated Puneites as many locals cover their faces to protect themselves from the heat and dust.
Legal experts had termed the move as “ridiculous and unconstitutional”.
“We have decided not to act against those wearing scarves to cover faces,” said Manoj Patil, Pune’s deputy commissioner of police (traffic). The police had proposed a fine of Rs 50.
